Глава 13

1–9. Deification of forces and natural phenomena. 10–19. Worship of idols for gods. Repeated mention of the idolatry of the Canaanites and Egyptians prompted the writer to devote a detailed discussion to this subject. In the XIII and XIV chapters. he talks about the essence and origin of polytheism and idolatry. At the same time, the writer distinguishes between separate forms and types of polytheism, not equally unreasonable: 1) deification of majestic phenomena and powerful forces of nature, naturalistic polytheism; 2) deification of the works of human hands, in the proper sense idolatry; 3) deification of animals - zoolatry: 4) veneration of ancestors. There are no direct grounds for such a distinction between the forms of polytheism and assessing them according to the degree of rationality in the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament. It was a matter of independent study of pagan religions by the writer Prince himself. Wisdom. Prem.13:1. All people are truly vain by nature, who had no knowledge of God, who, from visible perfections, could not know the Existing One, and, looking at deeds, did not know the Author, 1. “All people who have no knowledge of God are truly vain by nature...” Beginning of Chapter XIII. clearly indicates its close connection with the previous speech about the punishment of the Egyptians through their own gods (Wis. 12:27). This was a striking example of how vain people are without true knowledge of God. The predicate “vain”, often included in the book. Holy Scripture to idolatry and everything connected with it, gives the concept that it is based on the insignificant and empty and as a result brings deception and destruction (Wis. 15:2; 2 Kings 17:15; Jer. 2:5; Acts 14:15; Rom. 1:21). The expression “by nature” does not mean that these people, by their very spiritual nature, were incapable of true knowledge of God, for further the writer recognizes this ability in them and makes them responsible for ignorance of God (3–4, 10); “by nature” means essentially, in itself, without reference to anything else, ignorance of the true God makes people insignificant. “Of the visible perfections they could not know the Existing One...” Visible perfections are the most perfect works of God, the most beautiful and majestic phenomena of nature, in contrast to the invisible Divinity, which is cognized in them. The name of God as Existing, ό ών, was used by the writer, probably in the Platonic sense, to express the concept of God as truly existing (όντως όν), as opposed to what happens. Although, on the other hand, the expression ό ών writer book. Wisdom could also be borrowed from the biblical language: the Greek translation LXX the Hebrew name of God - Jehovah - conveys with this expression. Prem.13:2. and they considered the gods who ruled the world to be either fire, or wind, or moving air, or the star circle, or stormy water, or the heavenly bodies. 2. The main forces and natural phenomena that were deified by the pagans are listed: fire, air, water, heavenly bodies. In this list he sees an indication of the teaching of the pagans about the four elements that govern the world (Philon. De decern orac. II, 189). In mythology, these powers that govern the world were personified in the images of various deities. Pres.13:3. If, captivated by their beauty, they revered them as gods, then they should have known how much better the Lord is than them, for He, the Author of beauty, created them. Pres.13:4. And if they were surprised at their strength and effect, then they should have learned from them how much more powerful is He who created them; 3–4. It is indicated how people came to deify natural phenomena. They were prompted to do this either by an aesthetic feeling: they were “captivated by their beauty,” or by feelings of fear and dependence in front of formidable natural phenomena: “they were amazed at their strength and action.” However, the charm of nature does not justify the pagans. On the contrary, they “had to know the Author of beauty” and the power of the Creator. Prem.13:5. for from the greatness of the beauty of creatures the Author of their existence is comparatively known. 5. The fifth verse contains the basis for the idea of ​​the preceding verses, that the Gentiles, by contemplating nature, "must have known" God. They stood on the most natural path to the knowledge of God: “from the greatness of the beauty of creatures, the Author of their existence is comparatively known.” “Comparatively”, αναλόγως, i.e. by inference from the properties of the phenomenon to the cause. In many codes, instead of reading “the greatness of beauty,” there is “the greatness and beauty of creatures...” This reading is more consistent with Articles 3 and 4, which speak separately about these properties of natural phenomena. Pres.13:6. However, they deserve less blame, because they are mistaken, perhaps, seeking God and wanting to find Him: Pres.13:7. because, turning to His works, they examine and are convinced by sight that everything visible is beautiful. 6–7. When assessing naturalistic polytheism, the writer places it above other forms of polytheism: its followers “are less deserving of blame...” The reason for this preference is twofold. Firstly, the writer admits that these errors are based on the search for the true God; secondly, this form of polytheism also gave something positive in its results: turning to the works of God, people were convinced “that everything visible is beautiful.” Their dark suspicion that evil and darkness reigned in the world was dispelled. Thus, the beauty of the visible world itself has a price. And beauty visible in the world is as essential an element as truth and goodness: and it has its final foundation in God. Therefore, “from the greatness of the beauty of creatures, the Author of their existence is comparatively known” (Art. 5). This feature of the writer’s view of the world, which he views from the side of artistic beauty, indicates that he is a Hellenistic Jew. Pres.13:8. But they are also unforgivable: Pres.13:9. if they could understand so much that they were able to explore the temporary world, then why did they not immediately find its Lord? 8–9. Contain a restriction on the thought of the two preceding verses. Although the followers of naturalistic polytheism “are less reprehensible than others,” however, “they are not excusable.” Their minds were so developed that “they were able to explore the temporary (visible) world.” They therefore had the full opportunity to infer from the properties of the universe to the properties of its Creator, “why didn’t they immediately find the Lord?” The reason, obviously, lies not in a lack of cognitive abilities, but in the moral qualities of people: this makes them guilty of not knowing God. Prem.13:10 . But those are more pitiful, and their hopes are for the soulless, who call the works of human hands, gold and silver, works of art, images of animals, or worthless stone, the work of an ancient hand, gods. 10. From 10th century the writer proceeds to depict the unreasonableness of another form of polytheism - idolatry in the proper sense, the veneration of objects made by human hands. Of course, according to the original idea, veneration did not relate to these objects themselves, but to what they represented and meant; but subsequently the ignorant masses began to identify the image with the deity himself. This is the form of religious ignorance that the writer has in mind. It is spoken of in many other places of Holy Scripture: Deut. 4:28; Ps. 134:15–18; Is. 40:18–20, 41:7, 44:9–20; Jer. 2:28, 10:3–15. The unreasonableness of this form of polytheism is, first of all, that people place their hopes “on the soulless,” that is, on dead inanimate objects. Thus, idols are named not in opposition to the true living God, but in opposition to the above-mentioned forces and natural phenomena. They still have life, they can bring benefit or harm to a person, this could serve as a basis for their veneration by people, and admirers of soulless idols do not have this basis either, so they are “more pitiful.” “...gold and silver...” were not revered in themselves, but here we mean images, idols made from these metals. “... an unusable stone, the work of an ancient hand...” - of course, stone images and statues are deified because of their great antiquity. Prem.13:11. Or some woodcutter, having cut down a useful tree, skillfully removed all the bark from it and, having decorated it beautifully, made from it a vessel useful for use in life, Prem.13:12. and he used the scraps from his work for cooking and was satisfied; Prem.13:13 . he took one of the scraps, useless for anything, a crooked and knotty tree, carefully rounded it at his leisure and, having finished it with the experience of a connoisseur, likened it to the image of a man, Prem.13:14. or made it like some low animal, smeared it with red lead and covered its surface with paint, and painted over every defect in it, Prem.13:15 . and, having arranged for it a worthy place, he hung it on the wall, strengthening it with iron. Prem.13:16. So, so that his work would not fall, he took care in advance, knowing that it could not help itself, for it was an idol and needed help. 11–16. The writer proves the foolishness of idolatry with a vivid description of the method of preparing idols. There is caustic irony in this description. Idols are prepared from useless scraps of wood, after the valuable material has been used to make useful objects. They do them “at leisure”, when time is not occupied with more useful things. Having covered with paint any imperfections in the wood, the image is placed in a niche, and they do not forget that it itself is helpless, it can fall and break, and it is strengthened with iron. We find a similar description in the prophet Isaiah (Is. 44:9–20). Prem.13:17. Praying before him about his acquisitions, about marriage and children, he is not ashamed to tell the soulless, Prem.13:18 . and the infirm calls for health, the dead asks for life, the completely incapable begs for help, the unable to walk for a journey, Prem.13:19 . about profit, about craft and about the success of hands - what cannot do with hands at all, the most powerless asks for strength. Art. 17–19. The writer depicts all the folly of praying to the idol, the preparation of which he has just described. An idol cannot give what it does not have. Meanwhile, people “cry out to the weak for health, ask for life for the dead... for strength the most powerless,” and do not notice and are not ashamed of this foolishness.